Latefia Wright – Metro Technology Centers

From homeless to home-building, Latefia Wright discovers a passion for electricity.

Latefia Wright is an electrical trades student at Metro Tech.

THEN: An abused and neglected toddler who became a homeless teenager, begging for change to buy sardines and crackers. Latefia Wright eventually became a single mother of two with no family support and limited skills. She was encouraged to apply for admission to Metro Technology Centers.

Latefia said one application and one conversation with a counselor saved her life. She met instructor Jerry Martin after making the switch from a health care program to electrical trades. Martin and Metro Tech have given her the skills and confidence to:

Be chosen SkillsUSA class president.

Win second place at the Oklahoma SkillsUSA extemporaneous speaking competition.

Provide for her two daughters with scholarship money she earned.

Latefia said Martin is like a dad to her, teaching basic electrical wiring but also pushing her to get her driver’s license, helping her get financial aid and even making sure she has breakfast when she comes to class. Martin described Latefia as “every teacher’s dream” and said her work ethic is phenomenal.

NOW: Latefia recently won the Grainger Tools Scholarship from the Metro Tech Foundation. The stipend she earned helps her with living expenses, so she can focus on her schooling. Her long-term dreams are to start an all-women electrical company and eventually build a solar-powered teenage group home.